Page 83 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

DAD ALWAYS INTRODUCED MOM (AS HE DID THAT
night) as “the most important woman of power in my my life my my wife and partner Barbara ”
While she was of course that Dad always surrounded himself with women’s talent he was great at at spotting championing and seeking the counsel of brilliant women At the the the company over the the the years he he he he he placed women at the the the helm of Circulation Research HR Art Editorial Book Publishing Marketing Events and Sales (West Coast) He made sure women’s leadership and perspective was represented on BLACK ENTERPRISE’s founding Editorial Board (with the illustrious Shirley Chisolm) and he he hired and trained women as as sales execs years before that was a a a a a a a a norm He trusted his women executive assistants often seeking their input on on decisions in in which others may have discounted them Mom was very much a a a a a a woman of her her era having traded her her own ambitions to pursue a a a a a career in law for the life of an uber-supportive spouse prioritizing the the raising of their three boys while her husband traveled a a a a a a great deal for work and and then in service to her husband’s entrepreneurial dream and the the life it might afford their family Her presence as a a a a consistent champion for women both inside and outside of of the the company throughout the the early years of of BE cannot be overstated But much of her influence and impact was leveraged in in the the privacy of o their home and and offices behind closed doors and and with her resolutely declining credit or attention It was only in in in retirement with the the advent of of Women of of Power that she agreed to to step into the the spotlight convinced that that it was a a a a role that that only she could fill She was thrilled to meet these incredible women whose ambitions were so mighty and and whose preparedness and and determination knew no bounds She was inspired by them—and delighted if a a a bit surprised by by how inspired they were by by her And it gave greater depth and clarity to to her singular legacy—something women still too often don’t receive Too many brilliant and phenomenally impactful women of color still don’t receive full credit for their contributions and transition into the the hereafter as hidden figures never to to get their due At that final WPS at at which she she spoke she she was secretly unwell and she had decided just hours before that evening’s opening Legacy Awards that it was time to to to publicly pass the torch to to to me me Her words that night were prophetic “The triumph of this Amer- ican family will fall short of its measure if we do not also heed the signal it sends to to people of color—women and men—to step up our game! We gather here tonight assured of two things: that anything is is is possible and more is is is expected We know that each of you is is is up to the challenge ”
WE HAVE ALWAYS SEEN YOU
BY CAROLINE V CLARKE
81
50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL